


A Grand Reunion

by adamwhatareyouevendoing



Category: Casualty (TV)
Genre: M/M, background Dylan/Seb but it's more friendship here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 04:27:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8782957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adamwhatareyouevendoing/pseuds/adamwhatareyouevendoing
Summary: Lofty returns to Holby ED.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So I started writing this on Wednesday and finished it on Thursday but didn't get chance to post. I had no idea what was going to happen on Saturday's episode (!!!) so this ignores that. I just miss Lofty so much!

**_-L-_ **

Lofty stands outside, staring up at the hospital. In truth, he’s missed it. Missed the work, missed being able to help people. More than that though, he’s missed _someone_. And whilst that building still holds bad memories – ones that keep him awake at night, or wake him with a shout; trembling in the darkness – there are also so many good ones.

On entering the hospital, he’s stopped many times by his colleagues, his friends, all glad to see him back. He regales them with stories of his travels, excitedly as always, and yet every time the swing doors open he finds his eyes flicking to them, hoping that they might reveal the one person he wants to see most.

In the end, he can’t take it any longer. He has to go in search of him. He manages to politely shake off Charlie, promising to come and speak to him later. Charlie looks at him in understanding.

“He’s in his office,” Charlie says.

It’s as though everyone seems to realise what’s going on, because no one else stops him as he walks through the ED towards Dylan’s office.

Heart beating madly in his chest, he turns the corner. The door to Dylan’s office is open. He stops dead in his tracks. Dylan is not alone. There is another man there too, his arms wrapped around Dylan.

 

**_-D-_ **

When Dr Grayling wraps his arms around him, Dylan stands there awkwardly. He had told the friendly medic that he didn’t want to be touched. In reality, it’s because it reminds him of Lofty – the only man he wants to be in the arms of.

He’s about to remind Sebastian of this fact, when movement outside the door alerts his attention and makes him look up.

If he was still before, he’s completely frozen in shock now.

It’s Lofty.

Dylan can barely believe his eyes, but before he can smile, or greet Lofty in any way, he takes in Lofty’s shocked face, and realises Sebastian’s arms are still around him. Neither of them say anything. Lofty’s face drops.

“Lofty,” Dylan manages, but it’s too late; Lofty has turned and fled.

 

**_-S-_ **

Seb completely forgets himself, filled with relief at the events of the day, and pulls Dylan into a hug.

He realises as soon as he does it, but then fear grips him, and he pauses, arms still around Dylan, trying to work out how best to get out of the situation.

As soon as Dylan speaks, Seb immediately lets go of him. “Oh, sorry!” he says, feigning innocence. “No touching – sorry – got it.”

But Dylan is staring at the doorway with a pained look on his face.

“Um?” Seb says. He looks from Dylan to the doorway, trying to figure out what he’s missed. “Lofty?”

“He’s…”

“Your old mentee—I know.” What he doesn’t get is why Dylan is talking about him now.

To his surprise, Dylan sinks to the sofa next to him, palm to his forehead, clearly distressed.

“I thought he was… I thought he wasn’t coming back. I’ve ruined everything, again.” Dylan seems to be talking to himself more than Seb, but he’s not having that, so he shuts the office door and sits himself next to Dylan.

“Right, come on, what’s going on?”

 

**_-D-_ **

Dylan looks up into Sebastian’s earnest face. He could brush him off, deny that anything’s wrong; indeed, that’s what he’d usually do. But he has a feeling that Dr Grayling wouldn’t accept that, so he tells the truth.

“Lofty, he went away, after—” he chokes on the words.

“I know what happened,” Sebastian tells him softly. “That wasn’t your fault.”

“Not the act itself, perhaps,” Dylan says, “but I was responsible. If I hadn’t pushed him so hard, he wouldn’t have been so stressed, so tired. He might not have made the mistake he did. But that’s not the only thing I regret,” he admits. Sebastian just waits for him to continue, so he does. “When he left, he asked if I wanted to go to the pub – with everyone else – but I said no. I let him go thinking that I didn’t care about him.”

Sebastian twists his mouth in sympathy. “But he’s back?”

“I didn’t know. Not until he was there, at my door. And the first thing he sees…”

“Ah,” Sebastian says, putting two and two together. “Sorry about that.” He looks bashful enough that Dylan can’t blame him for it. No, the only person to blame is himself.

“I don’t know what to do,” he confesses.

“Seems to me like you need some help winning him back,” Sebastian grins.

“I-I don’t,” Dylan splutters, “I’ve never...”

“I get it, don’t worry. Look, no offense Dylan, but you’re not exactly the best at being emotional, and revealing your feelings.” He punctuates the words with little air quotes. “And it’s partly my fault your grand reunion ended up being… not so great. So, let me talk to him?”

And god help him, Dylan agrees.

 

**_-S-_ **

It’s only when he’s stood in the ward that Seb realises he probably should have asked for a description of the man he’s meant to be finding. He looks around, hoping to see anyone who might remotely resemble Dylan’s type. Then again, considering he didn’t even know that Dylan liked men up until ten minutes ago, his assessment of Dylan’s type has rapidly undergone an overhaul.

He finds him in Charlie’s office, and that’s only because he asks Noel if he’s seen him.

As he nears the door, he hears Charlie offering Lofty his old job back. Seb jumps in before he can say anything, hoping to stop Lofty in case his response would be refusal based on what he’s just seen.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he says, and luckily Lofty turns to him without giving Charlie a response. “I just wanted a word with Lofty?” They both look at him in surprise.

“I’ll find you in a bit, Charlie,” Lofty says. Charlie nods, and leaves. “Hi?” Lofty says, turning once more to Seb with a question in his voice.

Seb extends his hand to Lofty. “Sebastian Grayling. Call me Seb.”

“Ben Chiltern. And as you already seem to know, I’m called Lofty.”

“Sorry to intrude, but I just wanted to explain… What you saw, it wasn’t what you were thinking.” Lofty is still looking at him with a despondent look on his face, and Seb’s heart aches for him. “Funny story actually, the first day I met him he told me he didn’t do hugs. Well, not with me,” he smiles.

“Or with me,” Lofty murmurs, eyes downcast.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Seb says, emphasising the point with a finger. “Well, I think so anyway. Thing is, he actually likes you. He just doesn’t know how to show it.”

“It looked like he likes you too.”

“Not that way,” Seb is quick to point out. “We’d just saved a girl’s life. I mean, obviously, in this line of work we’re constantly trying to save lives, but this one… She – her heart stopped. We had to resuscitate her. But she pulled through. It’s the first time I’ve done that. I was just, happy – thankful.”

Lofty nods in understanding. “Perhaps I was a bit hasty,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully.

“Perhaps. But for what it’s worth, it doesn’t sound like he’s made it easy for you.”

“He’s just – distant, you know? Well, not all the time. Sometimes I could almost believe he was my friend. But then I’d allow myself to get too close and he’d… shut off.”

“He likes you, trust me. Just – just talk to him, yeah?”

 

**_-L-_ **

Lofty follows Seb back through the ED towards Dylan’s office.

“I’ll stand guard,” Seb says. Lofty finds himself grateful for the man’s help. It’s strange, considering ten minutes ago he was filled with an irrational hatred of him. Still, he finds himself hesitating outside the door. “Go on,” Seb urges. “He missed you, whilst you were gone. Let him make it up to you?”

Lofty can’t argue with that. He knocks on the door softly, then enters before Dylan can say anything—before he can lose his nerve.

It’s only when he gets inside that he realises he doesn’t know what to say. He looks at Dylan, and Dylan looks at him.

“I’m sorry.” It’s Dylan who has spoken.

“Sorry?” Lofty automatically responds, then laughs nervously. “Why are you sorry?”

“For everything,” Dylan admits. He can’t look at Lofty as he says it.

“It’s okay, by the way, Seb explained to me about the hug.”

Dylan shakes his head. “It’s not just that.” He looks up at Lofty then. “Before you left, when you asked me to come to the pub. I’m sorry I said no.”

Lofty screws up his courage. “Why?”

“Because I wanted to say yes.”

“Why didn’t you?” Lofty tries to keep the hurt out of his voice, but it still hurts, even after all this time. That offer hadn’t just been about a drink - he thinks Dylan knows this - it was his way of asking, searching out something more. Perhaps it had just been bad timing, but Lofty had felt spurned in more than one way; his gesture of friendship and hope for something more.

  
**_-D-_**  
  
Dylan feels uneasy. He isn’t good at being emotionally accessible, he knows that. But Sebastian had told him to be honest with Lofty, and he owes it to the man in front of him to try.  
  
“I suppose I just hadn’t imagined that situation at all. You know what I’m like,” —and here Lofty smiles softly at him, at the familiarity— “I’m not comfortable in social situations. Sometimes I run through scenarios in my head, so that if they happen I’m better prepared for what I might do, or say. Losing you, and then having to say goodbye to you in front of everyone...” His voice cracks. “I had never imagined that.”  
  
“What scenarios have you imagined?” Lofty dares.  
  
“Well, this one a for start.” Dylan knows he’s skirting the issue. “And... When I imagined having a drink with you, we weren’t surrounded by lots of other people... It was just us.” _This is it_. “That night, when you told me you were leaving... I wanted to have a drink with you, and then I wanted to take you home with me.”

Lofty is silent for so long that Dylan is beginning to regret his words. He’s trying to work out a way to take them back when Lofty says, “Do you want to get a drink tonight? Not - not at The Hope & Anchor, if you don’t want. There’s a nice little pub in the city I like. It’s pretty quiet, and, more importantly, unlikely that anyone we know will be there.”  
  
Dylan is well aware that this is the moment he’s wanted to make up for for a whole year. “I’d like that,” he says.

And somehow, as easily as that, they’ve done it.

Lofty beams at him, and _god_ , Dylan has missed that smile. Lofty is brightest thing he’s ever seen.

“I’ve thought about you every day since I left,” Lofty tells him, his eyes shining with pure honesty and innocence.  
  
From a medical perspective, Dylan knows that his heart can’t physically skip a beat, but it’s the only way to describe the feeling at those words. “I can’t lie to you; I did try to forget,” he admits in response, somewhat guiltily. “I didn’t know if you were ever coming back, so I threw myself into work even more in the hope that I could distract myself. But I couldn’t help it - you were the first thing I thought of when I woke up, and the last thing at night. Cliché as it is.” He gives a wry smile. “Without any distractions, the only thing my mind could think of was you.”

Lofty’s grin falters slightly, a touch of nervousness creeping in. “There’s something I’ve wanted to say every day since I left you... But I know I’ve just come back, and it’s been a year, and—”  
  
“I love you.”  
  
Lofty stares at him in shock. He makes an amusing picture, standing there with his mouth agape. “I thought it’d take wild horses to drag those words from you.”  
  
Dylan stands then, finally; comes out from behind his desk. “So did I,” he admits with a wry smile. He stops in front of Lofty, mere inches between them. Gently, he raises his hand to stroke Lofty’s cheek, as though to reassure himself that he is really here, in front of him. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” he whispers, as if to himself.  
  
Lofty raises his hand to take hold of Dylan’s, presses a kiss to his fingers. “Can I hug you?” he asks, a slight tremble in his voice.  
  
“Of course,” Dylan says, in what he hopes is a reassuring way.  
  
And, as he has done a few times before, Lofty wraps his arms around him. This time though, it’s far better than any other that came before, as Dylan raises his arms to wrap around Lofty’s waist, pulling them closer together.

They only pull away when a voice sounds from beyond the office.

“Is Dr Keogh in there?” It’s Elle.

They listen with amusement to Sebastian spluttering an excuse as to why Dr Gardner can’t enter the office. “I’ll get him to come and find you,” he concludes, “I promise.”

There’s a quiet knock on the door.

 

**_-L-_ **

“Come in,” Dylan says, sharing a smile with Lofty.

Seb pokes his head round the door, hand covering his eyes, revealing only a cheeky grin. “I hope I’m not disturbing anything.”

“You’re not,” Dylan says. If it’s possible for a person to roll their eyes through their voice, Dylan definitely manages it.

Seb peeks between parted fingers, then satisfied that the coast is indeed clear, drops his hand. “I take it you heard that then.”

“Thanks for stalling,” Lofty tells him genuinely. He turns to Dylan. “You’d better go and see her”—he presses a quick kiss to Dylan’s cheek, then heads for the door—“and I’d better go and find Charlie. Looks like I’ll be needing my old job back after all. Meet you back here,” he says, and then he’s out of the door.

 

_**-S-** _

“So,” Seb says into the silence, elongating the syllable, “you made up then?”

Dylan actually does roll his eyes this time. “Yes, we did. Thank you,” he adds.

Seb nods. “Don’t mention it. You’ve already helped me loads – just glad I could return the favour.”

 

**_-L-_ **

Lofty is already waiting in the office when Dylan gets back.

“All good?”

Dylan smiles in response. “For a change, yes. She’s not often happy about things.”

“You’ll have to tell me all about the changes. I know a year is a long time to be away, but looking around now, it really brings it home.” He loops Dylan’s scarf around his neck for him, then links his arm. “I’m just glad that you’re still here.”

He can’t bear to think about what it would have been like if Dylan hadn’t been here when he returned. Would he have been brave enough to just turn up at Dylan’s houseboat? He isn’t sure. Luckily he didn’t have to find out.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

 


End file.
